Luke Bolland is the brilliant comedian behind award winning show Fame Dropper and new show Weight Dropper. Comedy correspondent Kieran Eaton caught up with him before the show.
Haven’t read part one? Click HERE to read it now!
How do you think your last show, Name Dropper went? Do you enjoy [doing] Name Dropper? Especially winning Best WA [comedy] act.
Yeah, it was pretty great because it that thing of, you know when I’m doing a show I put so much effort into it will be pretty much a year of hard work, and so to have that is my fourth year in a row and I had never even been nominated for an award so to not only get nominated but win an award in the same year, it felt a justification. That is four years of hard work, it is paying off right now – it felt amazing. I think it was a good show and people who saw it said it was amazing, and an outstanding review from you which I appreciate. But I think it has pushed me, this year that I hope that I have created an even better show – I feel good about this one.
Have you tested a bit of material at the [comedy] clubs?
Yeah, absolutely – it has literally been 10 months I started working on it. I started working on it on March, going up the open mic rooms and doing bits from the new show and then be like, “That worked, that’s going in the show, that didn’t and so that’s no.” But there are a lot of bits that doesn’t work outside the show, so I’m doing it for the first time. I did two test shows last week – one was to a friend who was going to be away, travelling so could not make it. So, I went to their house to the show and their feedback was it was better than last year’s show. And, I did the show for two complete strangers – who were co-workers of my producer, one of them did not speak very good English, and so if this could work in front of them, I know I am on to something. And, they loved it! I needed to it in front of somebody other than my wife and get feedback. I’m feeling pretty good about it now.
What has made success not change who you are?
The main thing for me is because I’ve got kids, I don’t really get to perform outside of Perth. People in Perth don’t care if you’ve won an award and had sold out shows. They’ll come see you at a pub – if you are not good, they will tell you very quickly. So, having to constantly work every week and prove myself all over again, keeps me very grounded, very level-headed – because as soon as you get out there and say, This next comedy act won best comedy act at Perth Fringe World Festival,” and the audience is like, “I don’t give a shit, make me laugh or not.”
How can you not stay humble when that is your constant mindset that you have to constantly put yourself in.
I am guessing also children also keep you grounded?
Definitely – they don’t care what awards you have won. All they care is that your there each night, making them dinner, running their bath, tucking them into bed, reading them stories – you’ve got to do all of that. It keeps you level headed
Was it easy to get ideas for the show?
It an interesting one because I didn’t know what was going to be the strategy, what I was going to do. So, I said I’m going to write about the story – the timeline of ten months of trying to lose this weight. I had no idea starting out, what I was going to do. I had no idea how I was going to lose the weight. The show just became about that and I met some interesting people along the way, where I’m offered up advice and work out buddies. So, it was a weird thing that there was no, this is where the show is about the start, this is going to be middle part – I just knew this is the start and this is where I’d like it to finish. So, I recorded part of the show back in March when I first started, so there are some video components to the show, and that is the only bit I knew at the beginning, All I knew is that the video is going to open the show – everything else we’ll see what happens next year.
So, I guess you just went with the flow and the main thing is it gets laughs?
That’s the most important thing for me because you people to laugh, you want people to have fun and have a good night out. It is what I like to call a slow build – it is starts out pace out well, but I think it build to a really fun finish. The last twenty minutes are very funny and entertaining, so I can’t wait for that moment – it is my reward for all the hard work, the last twenty minutes of the show, seeing people hopefully going crazy and enjoying it
In three words, how would you describe your show?
Funny weight-loss adventure.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Weight dropper, I won’t do again. It has been a ten-month journey and this is the end of the journey. It is not going to be relevant for me to go back and dig it up in a years’ time, it is relevant right now. So, if you want to see you’ve got to come to Fringe World now because I won’t be doing the show again next year
You can check out Name Dropper HERE.
Or read our review of Weight Dropper HERE.
The Fourth Wall 